The present invention relates to a system and method for organizing electronic messages, and more particularly relates to a system and method for automatically extracting and highlighting information contained in an electronic message.
Electronic mail (e-mail) and other types of electronic messages are becoming extremely popular. Business users increasingly rely on electronic messages to share ideas, transmit documents, schedule meetings, and perform a multitude of other everyday tasks.
These tasks may be accomplished by a variety of software programs. For example, e-mail programs facilitate the transmission of messages between users. Messaging-enabled scheduling programs allow users to request and schedule meetings and appointments via electronic messages. Computer programs known as desktop information managers attempt to coordinate the growing stream of electronic communications by incorporating e-mail, a calendar, task management, contact management, notes, and journal features into a single application program.
The increased reliance on electronic messaging has resulted in a great increase in the number of electronic messages a user sends and receives daily. Sending and receiving a large number of electronic messages can make it very difficult and time consuming for a user to read, organize, and respond to his or her messages. When a user tries to review a large number of messages, it is very easy for the user to overlook critical information associated with a message item.
Current e-mail systems provide users with a few simple ways to organize and manage their e-mail inbox. For example, one mechanism for identifying and sorting important messages is for the sender of the message to set a priority level that the recipient will receive with the message. The sender may provide information about the e-mail message in a xe2x80x9csubjectxe2x80x9d line. For example, the sender may also set the priority to xe2x80x9curgentxe2x80x9d for an e-mail message or type xe2x80x9curgentxe2x80x9d in the xe2x80x9cSubjectxe2x80x9d field. However, these mechanisms for setting priorities can be somewhat ineffective because they do not specifically identify what action the recipient needs to take. Furthermore, if the recipient does not respond immediately, the user may simply forget to take the appropriate action at a later time.
Some e-mail programs allow senders to define a specific follow-up task, which is displayed to the recipient in a separate field. The follow-up task may include a due date by which the task is to be complete. For example, the sender may include a message flag that says xe2x80x9cplease respond by Friday.xe2x80x9d Although this feature is useful and allows a sender to highlight important information, it requires the sender to manually enter the information. In addition, the information displayed to the recipient is limited to what the sender has entered in the message tag field.
Some messaging-based scheduling programs provide a conflict checking feature. When a user receives an electronic message that includes a new meeting request, the scheduling program automatically compares the date and time of the proposed meeting with other appointments on the user""s calendar. If there is a conflict, the program will provide the user with a warning message. Some messaging-based scheduling programs also warn a user of previously scheduled appointments that are xe2x80x9cadjacentxe2x80x9d the proposed meeting. These features prevents the user from inadvertently scheduling a meeting that conflicts with a prior engagement.
Although these features help a user review, organize, and respond to his or her electronic messages, they are limited to information provided by the sender, or associated with only one type of item.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved method for extracting, calculating, and displaying critical information associated with an electronic message item, such as an e-mail message or meeting request. This method should automatically determine the state of the message item and prominently display critical information in an easily readable form. Automatically extracting and prominently displaying critical information would reduce the chance that a user would inadvertently overlook critical information, without also requiring additional input from the message sender.
The present invention satisfies the above-described needs by providing a system and method for highlighting information contained in an electronic message item. The present invention provides an information object that is used to highlight important information that is extracted or derived from the contents of the message item. The information object is displayed in a form along with the contents of the message item. This helps draw the user""s attention to the important information and virtually eliminates the possibility that the user will overlook the important information.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for highlighting information associated with an electronic message item that includes a plurality of message properties. The method includes determining the state of the message item and composing an information item describing the state of the message item. The message item is displayed along with an information object that includes the information item.
More particularly described, the present invention determines the state of the message item by examining a plurality of message properties and, in some cases, data that is external to the message item. Composing an information item can include selecting a predefined text string, dynamically forming a text string in response to the state of the message item, or performing a calculation involving at least one of the message properties and incorporating the results of the calculation in the information item. Multiple information items are prioritized prior to being displayed.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a computer system for highlighting information associated with a message item. The computer system includes a processing unit, an input device connected to the processing unit, and a display device connected to the processing unit. The processing unit is operative to examine a plurality of message properties associated with the message item and compose one or more information items describing the results of the examination of the message properties. The processing unit is further operative to display the message item on the display device and display one or more information items in an information object associated with the message item.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for highlighting information associated with an electronic message item. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform the step of testing the state of a plurality of message properties associated with the message item. In response to the state of the message properties, the program provides least one information item indicating that at least one message property has a predetermined state. The program displays the message item, an information object, and at least one information item in the information object.